


You're Music To My Eyes

by FallingLikeThis, RecycledStardust



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Be My Eyes app, Birthday Cake, Blind Character, Blind Louis, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25542565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallingLikeThis/pseuds/FallingLikeThis, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RecycledStardust/pseuds/RecycledStardust
Summary: Louis' life is made so much easier when he finally starts using the amazing app for the visually impaired that Niall had him download months ago.Harry discovers a new way to treat people with kindness when his mother introduces him to the app as a sighted volunteer.Is it inevitable that their paths will cross?
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 63
Kudos: 317
Collections: Prompt 4.4: Shot





	You're Music To My Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Sus for the beta! All remaining mistakes are our own.
> 
> The app mentioned in this fic is a real app. If you're interested in volunteering or know someone who might need the app, you should [check it out.](https://www.bemyeyes.com/)
> 
> This is part of a Wordplay prompt challenge for the prompt "shot". To read the amazing fics that were written by the others on this prompt, [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/shot), and to see all fics written as part of the challenge (including years 1-3), [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/wordplay_fic_challenge/works). You can also find the masterpost for this year’s challenge [here](https://wordplayfics.tumblr.com/post/622306139518926848/wordplay-2020-every-week-for-five-weeks-a-prompt).

Huffing with frustration, Louis wonders why he owns so many identical pairs of Vans. But more to the point, how has he managed to ignore his usually faultless system of tying the laces differently in order to tell them apart? Well, that's an argument to take up with past-Louis another time, right now he needs to get dressed for his dentist appointment and out the door. However, in front of him sit three pairs of Vans with identical lacing and no way of telling them apart. No matter how many times he tries, he cannot make the black pair feel different from the red or the checkered pairs. He would randomly choose two shoes but he isn’t sure this is the time to try “I meant to do that” when his feet are going to be very much on display once he’s leaned back in the dentist chair.

He makes himself calm down and confront the dilemma like the intelligent person he knows himself to be (not counting the lapse in his system). He mentally ticks off the list of people who might be free and have a moment to Facetime with him to help. Coming up dry, he suddenly remembers the app Niall insisted he install on his phone. He’d done it because it was easier than listening to Niall nag at him, and then just as quickly he forgot about it. He was certain that he would never need to reach out to a total stranger with some random question. But, well, then today happened. He guesses that this is as good a time as any to try it out.

He grabs his phone and gives it the verbal command "open _Be My Eyes_ ", neither knowing what to expect nor holding out a lot of hope. He presses on the middle of the screen which he remembers the instructions saying was a large button labeled “Call First Available Helper” and hears the app announce “Creating connection request” followed by an electronic ringtone. 

Not having time on his side, he hopes this isn’t going to take forever. To his surprise, less than fifteen seconds later he hears a female voice with an American accent saying "Hello, how can I help you?". 

Momentarily intimidated, what comes out of his mouth is “Uhhh….”. Recovering quickly, he chuckles nervously and apologizes, “Sorry, this is my first time. Thank you for answering.” 

“No problem, this is my third call so I feel like a veteran,” the voice says, sounding amused. “What can I help you with?”

Taking a deep breath, Louis wonders why this is so hard. He has his friends and family help him on a regular basis. He’s not sure what makes this different, but he really needs to get moving so he just has to get over himself. 

“I have three pairs of identical shoes, something I swear I will never do again, and just need to know which are the black ones. I have them grouped by left and right. Do I have them in camera range so you can see them?” At least he knows the questions to ask the person helping him after all these years of Facetime assistance.

“Move the camera down just a bit and rotate it to landscape so I can see them all at once. Yes, that’s perfect. You want your black shoes, right? Counting from left to right they are the first and fifth shoes. Do you want to pull those out and then match the other pairs?”

Louis sighs in relief and puts the black shoes on his feet so he won’t lose track again. “Yes, please. That would be amazing. I guess my system is only foolproof if I actually follow it.” 

“Okay, ready? The checkered shoes are now the second and third, and the red ones are the first and fourth.”

Louis carefully puts the shoes in the right order, separating the red and checkered pairs with a pair of high tops till he can get them re-laced. 

“Would you mind just double checking that I have them correct?” he asks, feeling like he might be pushing his luck.

“Not at all. Just pan your camera across so I can see where they are. Yes, they are matched and as a reminder, the red pair is on the far left. Are you good now?” the voice checks.

“Yes thank you! This was great. I have to get to an appointment and was having a moment of panic.”

“Good luck with your appointment and contact us again if we can help,” his new favorite voice says, signing off.

Once the call is disconnected, Louis has the opportunity to rate the interaction with a thumbs up or thumbs down. He thinks they should also let him leave a heart emoji. Louis spends a few minutes thinking about the interaction and how easily it went. He feels bad about calling the same people all the time, even though they are willing to help, so if he’s honest a part of him is more excited about the service than he imagined he would be. (He makes a mental note not to tell Niall because who needs to hear _I told you so_ for the rest of his life?) However, asking his phone for the time, the only thing he should be thinking about this minute is not being late for his appointment. 

*****

Harry walks into Il Paradiso del Gusto right on time for lunch with his mother. He can see her already seated on the patio, looking at her phone.

“Can I help you?” the hostess asks with a smile. 

“Hi,” he smiles back, pointing out to the patio as he explains that “I’m just meeting my mum for lunch.The reservation is under Anne Twist, if you need it.”

“I’ll lead the way!” the hostess chirps after double-checking her reservations list. She grabs a menu and waves for Harry to follow her.

“The one on the left is the blue one,” Anne is saying, looking up at Harry with a half-smile, half grimace and raising a finger to let him know it’ll be a moment before she can properly greet him. 

“This one?” the voice on the phone asks just to be sure, a blue jumper filling the screen. 

“Yes. That’s it,” Anne confirms as the hostess quietly seats Harry and passes him his menu before walking back to her post.

“Thank you so much!” Harry hears through the phone, as he peers down at his menu, doing his best to give his mother some semblance of privacy, though it’s not usually like her to take calls so publicly.

“You’re so welcome! I hope your date goes wonderfully!” Anne enthuses. 

“Thanks!”

Harry puts down his menu and watches his mother as she hangs up with whoever she’s been talking to. She puts away her phone and turns to him with a smile. 

“It’s so good to see you, darling,” she says, patting his hand on the table. “Sorry, about that. I was a few minutes early so I thought I had time to take the call before you got here.”

“It’s no problem,” Harry brushes off her words goodnaturedly though his curiosity gets the better of him. “Who was that anyway?”

Their server shows up before his mother can answer and they take a moment to order before getting back to their conversation. 

“So, there’s this app I heard about from a friend called _‘Be My Eyes’_ ,” Anne says once they’re alone again, taking her phone back out and leaning over to show Harry the app. “You can sign up as a volunteer and people with visual impairments call and borrow your eyes for a bit.”

“Oh that’s so cool,” Harry responds enthusiastically, taking the phone to open the app and get a better look at it.

“I thought so too,” Anne chuckles, letting Harry steal the phone from her hand without a fuss. 

Their food comes and Harry still has his nose buried in her phone, reading through testimonials and learning more about the app. 

“Ahem,” Anne clears her throat, smiling when her son looks up with wide, innocent eyes at the interruption. “Are you here to have lunch with me or my phone?”

“Sorry,” Harry grimaces, sheepishly laying her phone down next to her on the table. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Anne tells him with another laugh. “So, how are you, love?”

“I’m good,” Harry assures her. “How are you?”

The whole time during their lunch the _Be My Eyes_ app stays in the back of his mind. What a cool way to spread kindness in the world. When he gets home later, Harry downloads the app and signs up as a volunteer. 

*****

When Louis gets home that night, he wearily toes off his shoes and gets ready to toss them into the closet. Then he remembers this morning and feels like he'd made the kind woman who helped him an implied promise to be more careful. No more slipping into bad habits. He felt quite noble about taking the time to re-string two of the pairs even though his body was crying out for a cup of tea.

Moving into the kitchen, Louis starts the kettle and puts a teabag in his waiting mug. Opening the refrigerator door, he suddenly remembers that he meant to pick up milk on the way home and thinks what's in his fridge may be past its prime. He'd actually skipped tea this morning because of that. He could just open and sniff it but... ewww, what if it's bad? He'd never get that smell out of his nose. 

Then he wonders... would it be ridiculous to get someone to read the expiration date on his milk? It's almost 10PM, he doesn't want to bother someone that late. Telling himself that people had the option to not answer, he opens the app, activates it and waits to see what happens. 

Just like this morning, it doesn't take long for a chipper voice to respond, "G’day, mate. How can I help?" 

Wait... is that an Australian accent? 

"Hello," he responds, curiosity totally piqued. "Sorry to bother you so late at night."

"No worries, mate," comes the response. "It's 7AM here and I'm just having my first cuppa. What can I help you with?"

Wait... the guy is in Australia? Internally surprised that someone halfway around the world has answered, but sufficiently motivated by a waiting cup of tea to plunge ahead he asks, "Would you be able to tell me the expiration on my carton of milk? I'm trying to fix a cuppa myself and don't want to give it the old sniff test."

Aussie guy snickers sympathetically. "Understandable. Just point the camera at the carton and I'll direct you to move it till I can see the date. Up just a little. Now move in just a bit. Perfect. And the answer is... expiry date is tomorrow. You should be good at least through tonight and your morning cuppa."

By the time Louis hangs up, he needs his tea so badly he could kiss his Aussie helper. And he could have listened to his accent all night.

*****

Louis checks out the app a little more and learns there are volunteers all over the globe. Since they only reach out to those volunteers in appropriate time zones, which means it’s never "too late" to ask for help, it rapidly becomes a routine part of his life.

He starts slowly by having someone help him match a sweater to his new shirt. Another thumbs up. The next time he reaches out he has despaired of finding his keys. They turn out to be in plain sight, which is kind of the point. He discovers that no request is considered too trivial as different helpers read the washing instructions on his new jumper, read a long device code on his new remote, advise him which orange juice doesn't have the pulp, and help him identify where he is when he gets lost. With every call his comfort level increases along with his appreciation for all the kind people in the world. 

Over the next few weeks, Louis finds more ways to use his favorite new app for things he couldn't have imagined but makes his life so much easier. He never ceases to wonder about who these people are who are so willing to help complete strangers. Don't get him wrong, he's grateful, but it occurs to him to wonder what motivates them. He has to remember to refer to them as volunteers and not "my extended team". 

*****

Harry should be watching the movie on his television. He put it on with express intent to watch it because he’s heard nothing but good things, but instead he keeps glancing down at his phone and trying not to pout. He’s been thinking a lot about that app his mother showed him a couple of weeks ago. When he’d downloaded it, he’d been so excited about the prospect of helping people and each day he’d been ready to answer the call should it come. Only it never came. 

He knows that there are a lot more volunteers than people who need help, which is lovely in itself, but he’d really been looking forward to spreading a little kindness to someone who needs it. And while they do say on the app itself that it could take quite a while to get a call, Harry had been hoping to get one sooner rather than later. 

Sighing, Harry tosses his phone to the other end of the sofa and forces himself to watch the movie. About a minute later, there’s a chime from his phone and he sees the screen he was trying too hard to ignore light up with a message. 

> **Someone needs your help**
> 
> _A blind or visually impaired person is calling for help._
> 
> **Answer Call** | **Cancel**

This is it! Seeing what the message says, Harry lunges across the sofa and hurries to accept the call. “Hello?” He answers a little breathlessly. 

“Uhh, hi?” he hears a beautiful voice say. It fills with concern in the next second as the speaker goes on to ask, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. I… got a little excited,” Harry admits, feeling slightly embarrassed about his enthusiasm. “I signed up to volunteer weeks ago, but this is my first call on the app.”

“Aww,” the voice coos. “That’s kind of sweet, that you’re so excited.”

Harry chuckles, feeling his cheeks heat at their words. “Anyway, I’m Harry. What can I help you with?”

“I’m Louis, but you know you don’t have to share your name, right?” the other voice, Louis, tells him. Harry thinks it’s a lovely name, just like the voice it belongs to.

“Too late, I guess,” Harry says, trying to laugh off his ever-growing self-consciousness. “I’ll tell you what, if you forget it, I won’t remind you.”

Louis giggles and Harry smiles proudly. “That works, I suppose.”

“Good. So, what are we doing tonight?” Harry asks again.

“Actually, this one is going to take a while,” Louis tells him, sounding worried. “I need assistance baking a cake. Do you have the time to read me the directions and basically guide me through it?” As he asks, Louis scans his camera in a wide arc over his kitchen counter and Harry sees probably every baking instrument Louis has and a bunch of ingredients laid out, each in it’s own very distinct space. “I wasn’t sure what I would need so I set out everything in an attempt to make it easier on both of us, if that helps.”

“I have all night. And certainly does look like you’ve taken care of the _mise en place_ ,” Harry jokes.

“You’re going to have to translate that one for me. My name is French, not me,” Louis snorts. 

“Oh,” Harry can feel his face fall. He really thought he was being clever with that one. “It’s just a culinary term for setting up, it means ‘everything in its place’.”

“Did I luck into a chef helper tonight?” 

“Sadly, no,” Harry laughs. “Just someone who watches a lot of cooking shows. And you can tell me it’s none of my business if you want, but can I ask what that cake is for?”

“Nah, it’s fine. Tomorrow is my mate Niall’s birthday but he said last year that he wasn’t fond of the icing on most bakery cakes, so I decided to give baking a go this year. At least if it’s shit, he’ll appreciate the bakery cake he gets next year,” Louis laughs.

Harry can’t help joining in. “That’s hilarious, but now I’m determined to help you make the best cake he’s ever had.”

“Well, alright then, Harvey,” Louis says, picking up the cake box and holding it up to the camera. “What do we do first?”

Harry almost corrects Louis before remembering that he said he wouldn’t. And anyway, by the tone of Louis’ voice when he said it, Harry thinks he probably did it on purpose anyway. He grins, “Well, Laurent, first you need a mixing bowl.”

*****

Louis can't believe his luck at being connected with someone who is willing to take so much time with him and understands how important it is for him to bake this cake. Harry was unbearably cute at the beginning, so excited to be answering his first call. Louis had to stop himself from laughing at his enthusiasm but he has to admit that he has managed to channel the eagerness into more complete help than Louis ever expected.

So far all of the instructions have been easy to follow and he's actually having more fun baking than he would have imagined. The banter and flirting from Harry was unexpected but has definitely made the experience that much more fun. His thoughts drift to how surprised Niall is going to be that he has actually made his cake. Maybe not from scratch, but that's something he can work up to. He's really getting into the idea of baking.

Hearing Harry read off the next direction brings him back to the present and reminds him that they have a ways to go. He has all of the ingredients in the bowl and now comes the part he has really been waiting for. He gets to use his KitchenAid stand mixer for the first time. The size and the fact it has 24 settings is a little intimidating so he’s waited till he had help to break it in. 

He is so ready for this. The baking tins are greased and floured, the oven is preheating to 175. It's just down to the batter. 

Harry continues reading the directions. "Blend ingredients at low speed until moistened, about 30 seconds."

He holds the camera up to the mixer so Harry can tell him how far to turn the dial. They agree that the first click should be the right setting. Holding his breath, Louis very slowly turns it on to the lowest setting. 

He didn’t expect to feel the power of the machine on such a low speed, feeling the vibration all the way up his arm. But the beaters are moving slowly and hopefully getting everything well blended so they can finally increase the speed. The thirty seconds seems endless in his impatient mind.

Finally time to move it to medium for two minutes, so Louis gives the dial a big twist and that's when the evening takes a turn. As if possessed, the mixer is suddenly flinging batter everywhere. Louis feels it hit his face, his shirt, his hands, and he's sure everything in the kitchen is getting covered as well. There's a few seconds of complete silence, except for the inexorable grinding from the mixer, and then all hell breaks loose as, panic stricken, Louis starts yelling, "Stop! Stop!" with the inevitable result that it does not in fact stop and more batter is being flung in every direction. He finally hears Harry yelling at him to turn it off and telling him exactly how to move to get to the dial. 

With the beast finally silenced, and batter dripping everywhere, a stunned Louis hears Harry's voice ask, "Lou, are you okay? "

He realizes that he still has hold of his phone but Harry only has a small idea of the extent of the carnage. Finally rousing from his shock, he pans the phone around his kitchen and asks Harry to tell him everything affected. 

Instead he asks, “Did you get any on you?" 

Pointing the camera at himself, he says flatly, "I was standing right in front of it, what would be your guess?" 

Then he hears two things sequentially. First the click of a camera and second Harry starting to giggle. 

"Wait, did you just take a screenshot of me?" Louis demands. 

"I couldn't help myself, Louis, this moment needs to be immortalized. Do you realize you have batter in your hair?” By now Harry is outright laughing while Louis has yet to find the humor.

“If it helps, you look good enough to eat?” Harry adds a moment later, which…. Is not what Louis was expecting to hear. But it has the immediate effect of lightening his mood and finally letting him laugh at his predicament. 

“I guess Niall is going to have to put up with bakery icing for another year. Good thing The Hummingbird Bakery has next day delivery.”

“The Hummingbird? Wait, does that mean you’re in London? Which Hummingbird Bakery?”

“I  _ am _ in London. There’s more than one Hummingbird Bakery?” Louis asks, confused.

“Yeah, there’s one right around the corner from my flat and one in South Kensington. There might be more. Which one do you go to?” Harry asks, seeming excited to have something familiar to talk about. 

“There’s one here in Notting Hill,” Louis says, before cursing quietly. “Shit, I’m not supposed to give out personal information.”

“You’re kidding! That’s _my_ bakery!” 

“You’re in Notting Hill, too?”

“I am. That’s so cool,” Harry answers, and Louis would have to agree. The two of them being so close _is_ pretty cool.

“Hey, look,” Louis says,”I’d love to continue this chat, but I’m dripping with cake batter over here.”

“Oh, shit, yeah. Sorry. Do you need to go?” Harry asks, and Louis needs to say yes but he really doesn’t want to. 

“Yeahhh,” he says reluctantly,”but first, I need you to tell me how bad my kitchen is and a rough estimate of how long it’s going to take to clean it all up.”

“Okay, pan over your kitchen again?” Harry agrees helpfully and Louis complies, moving his phone camera in a slow circle around his kitchen. 

When Harry remains silent for a little too long, Louis feels compelled to ask, “Well?”

“Mate, you’re going to need about twenty-eight extra sets of hands to clean all of that,” Harry says with a low whistle. 

“Fuck,” Louis whispers to himself. He doesn’t know how he’s going to manage and he’s got Niall’s party tomorrow to think about too. 

“If you’d settle for two, my hands are free,” Harry offers hesitantly, before hurrying on, “I mean, definitely feel free to say no if you’re uncomfortable with the idea. I know I’m still a stranger to you.”

Louis remains quiet as he thinks over the offer. He really does need the help but he’s not stupid enough to immediately say “sure, come on over” to someone he’s only spoken to for an hour. Even if he does apparently live in the same area. That might even be scarier.

“I can tell you’re not sold on the idea,” Harry states before Louis can respond, “so if it would make you feel better, I could give you my address and phone number. That way you can give them to a friend or relative for your peace of mind.”

Louis considers the option that Harry has given him, thinking back on how excited Harry was to be helping someone when Louis had called for it, and how much time he was willing to spend with him. He finds it hard to believe that he would mean him any harm. So he takes a leap of faith and agrees to accept Harry’s information. He can text it to Lottie and explain later.

“Wait, did you say your name is Harry Styles?” Louis asks, tone going high with incredulity. “I thought we were giving _real_ information here, Harold.”

“That is real,” Harry laughs. “No one ever believes me.”

“Okay, I have your information, I’m sending it to my sister, and then I’m going to get changed,” Louis tells him, signalling the end of their conversion. 

“I’ll see you soon,” Harry promises.

“Oh, and Harry,” Louis calls before he can hang up. “You’re definitely getting a high rating for this.”

Harry laughs. “Likewise.”

*****

Harry wastes no time riding to the rescue. With as big a mess as Louis’ kitchen is, it could take hours to get it cleaned up. And if he’s honest, he can’t wait to see the man in person when he isn't covered with batter if the glimpse he got of him is anything to judge. He may or may not have made the screenshot his phone background.

Arriving at Louis’ flat, he gathers the armful of towels he’d grabbed on the way out just in case, and makes his way to the door. Excitement is currently dueling with nerves for possession of the butterflies in his stomach and not even the dash of common sense that makes him wonder about such an impetuous action can calm them down. 

He rings the bell and hears Louis’ voice on the speaker asking him to identify himself. 

“It’s Harry.”

“It sounds like you, but just as a precaution, what is the last fake name I called you?” Louis asks. If he’s going to be letting strange men into his flat at this time of night, he’s going to make sure it’s the right one.

Harry thinks back over their exchanges. There had been several, but then it comes to him. “It was Harold.”

He smiles as he hears the buzzer sound to let him into the foyer. The flat door opens to reveal a miraculously clean and smiling Louis, hair still damp from the shower. 

“Thank you for coming over to help, Harry. I have officially broken every rule the kind folks at _Be My Eyes_ give us for safety, so don’t betray my trust. Believe me, you don’t want to have to deal with my sister.” The words are serious but his tone is soft and teasing. 

“I totally understand about protective sisters and I would probably have to answer to mine as well. So, should we get started? I brought extra towels just in case.”

Louis leads him into the kitchen and they get to work scraping, wiping, and polishing. It turns out to not be as overwhelming as they thought at first because they chat, joke, and find out a little about each other as they work. 

It’s also informational for Harry as Louis explains why it’s important to keep things where they belong and not move them without telling him. Harry suddenly understands why his _mise en place_ was so perfect, even though Louis didn’t realize that’s what he was doing. 

Once they realize they are nearly the same age, have similar interests, and are completely comfortable in each other’s presence, a fair amount of flirting creeps into the exchange. So when Harry notices a smudge on Louis’ cheek and moves to wipe it off, there is a sudden electric charge in the air. They both freeze for a moment and then, with an inevitability that seems destined from the moment he arrived, Harry closes the gap and places a soft kiss on Louis’ lips. He is momentarily contrite that he didn’t ask permission first, but that is put to rest when Louis pulls him back in for more. 

“Is this too fast?” Harry asks when their lips part and they take a moment to catch their breath. 

“I don’t know,” Louis admits. “Maybe? It doesn’t feel wrong though.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Harry grins. “What are the chances that of all the volunteers on the app, I would be the one to get your call tonight? Feels a bit like fate.”

“Fate,” Louis muses, breath warm on Harry’s lips as he laughs. “And my KitchenAid.”

**Epilogue**

Niall jumps back in surprise when he opens the door to Louis’ flat. Mostly because he was told to expect his birthday party, so he was not expecting everyone at the party to yell “SURPRISE!” when he got there. 

“Did we scare him?” he hears Louis whisper-shout to some guy that Niall has never seen over the revelry and Happy Birthday’s people are throwing his way as he walks into the flat.

“Oh yeah,” the stranger laughs and there’s something about the way he looks at Louis, a spark in his eyes that makes Niall raise his eyebrows in fascination even as he laughs at the prank and walks over.

“Louis, you little shit,” Niall greets affectionately, pulling Louis into a hug. “Thanks for my party, mate.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Louis tells him, pulling him toward the kitchen. “We have one more surprise for you.”

“We?” Niall asks, turning to the stranger that is following along with them.

“Oh, right,” Louis mutters, letting go of Niall’s arm once they’re in the kitchen and reaching out for the stranger who steps closer, meeting Louis halfway to join their hands. Louis takes a deep breath, seeming shy about what he’s about to say. “Niall, this is Harry,” after a small pause adding,”...my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” Niall repeats, surprised all over again because he’s pretty sure Louis didn’t have a boyfriend when he saw him yesterday morning. “When did this happen?”

“Rude,” Louis scoffs, kicking Niall lightly in the shin. 

“Shit, sorry, It’s nice to meet you, Harry,” Niall corrects himself, offering Harry a quick smile before turning back to Louis. “When did you get a boyfriend, Lou?”

“Uhhh. Sort of last night,” Louis answers reluctantly, moving toward a covered dish. “But that’s not important today. What is important is what we made you.” He uncovers the dish, revealing a somewhat messy but also edible-looking cake. “Tada! No bakery icing for you this year!”

Niall looks between Harry and Louis, Louis looking proud of his accomplishment and Harry looking at Louis like he’s the only thing worth looking at. He decides not to comment on that and instead turns his gaze on his cake with a smile growing on his lips. “Looks almost good, Tommo,” Niall jokes, pulling Louis in for another hug so he knows the true extent of Niall’s gratitude. “Thanks for remembering.”

“You actually have Harry to thank,” Louis murmurs, squeezing Niall back for a moment before they separate. “He convinced me to try again after a major mishap the first time. Turns out, he used to be a baker.” Louis grins, moving back to Harry’s side.

“It’s true,” Harry confirms with a laugh. “Though I was only 16 at the time, so take that as you will.”

Niall stares at them both, the details he’s missing starting to niggle at some vague thought in the back of his head. “Where did you say you two met again?”

“We didn’t,” Louis blurts out just as Harry says the magic words that bring a wicked smile to Niall’s lips. 

_“Be My Eyes.”_

“AHA!” Niall shouts, victorious, as Louis lowers his head into his hands with a groan.

“I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I?” Harry whispers to Louis, wincing at his faux pas. 

“It’s alright, love. I forgot to warn you,” Niall hears him answer though he’s too busy chanting “I knew it, I knew it” as he does his happy dance to bother commenting.

“What did he know?” Harry asks Louis quietly but Niall feels like it’s entirely _his_ right to answer this question.

“I knew you would use the app! I told you you’d love it!” Niall crows at Louis both for Harry’s benefit as well as his own. He changes his chant to “I told you so, I told you so.”

“Ugh, I’m never going to hear the end of it,” Louis states mournfully. 

“You’re right! You’re not,” Niall laughs, enduring the playful punch Louis delivers to his bicep in retaliation.

Harry reaches over and wraps an arm around Louis’ shoulders, pulling him in for comfort that Niall thinks is almost too cute to ruin with his gloating. 

Almost.

“I told you so,” he chants again. 

“We can take away your cake,” Louis threatens and that’s enough to give Niall pause.

“Okay, fine. I’ll stop,” Niall offers. For today. He’s going to pick it back up again tomorrow when the cake is gone. But in all honesty, he doesn’t think Louis will mind. After all, he got something out of this whole ordeal too. He learned about a pretty amazing app that makes his life easier and, in the process, made a real connection with someone who seems like a pretty good guy. 

Now that Niall’s gloating party for one is over, Harry and Louis move to look for plates and candles so that they can get into that cake. Niall watches them move around each other like they’ve been doing it for years and not just however many hours they’ve known each other. And truthfully, seeing his best friend find someone who’s already so in sync with him is the real present here. 

“Yeah,” Niall murmurs to himself. “Best birthday ever.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Here's is the [fic post](https://fallinglikethis.tumblr.com/post/624810483146489857/youre-music-to-my-eyes-5614-words) if you'd like to share.


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